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The Monroe Doctrine is Passed
As America was increasingly becoming more involved politically with other countries, it began to see how imperialism was becoming prominent throughout the world and, in turn, it sought, through presidents like Roosevelt to spread its influence as a policing force for "the betterment of other countries." The Monroe Doctrine was passed in order to try to protect its own land from imperialism by banning any new European colonies in the Americas. -
James Wilson Marshall Finds Gold
On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall finds gold in a in the Sacramento Valley. This sparks an uproar of people who move to California thinking,they too, can find gold. This immense movement of people, known now as the California gold rush all began with this one moment, causing it to be very important especially as it would lead to debates over slavery in new lands like California -
The Election of 1848
The election of 1848 was between Lewis Cass, Martin Van Buren, and Zachary Taylor. The election, which Taylor won, would have been split almost evenly had it not been for the free soil party which took away votes from both sides. This is important because it is one of the first times a third party had an impact on a presidential election to this much effect. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850, made by Henry Clay of Kentucky, was meant to settle the debate in Congress over the new lands gained in the California gold rush and the power of slave states vs. free states who wanted to abolish slavery. The Compromise seemed to placate people for a little bit, but was ultimately seen as a failure as the only gain for the South, the FSA, was not even enforced, leading to increased tensions. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 which chronicled the fictional tale of a slave and how he and other slaves on his plantation were abused. It was widely received by Northern audiences who had never heard anything like it before and were outraged because of the abuses that slaves were facing at the time. Due to its publication, Uncle Tom's Cabin spread a feeling of unrest and moral duty in the North to free the slaves. -
Dred Scott v. Stanford Ruling
One of the most influential hearings in the history of the Supreme Court, many believe that the ruling of Dred Scott v. Stanford was one of the largest causes of the Civil War. In it, a slave, Scott, that moved with his master to the Wisconsin Territory, a free state and sued his master for his freedom. The ruling stated that it was unconstitutional to ban slavery and stated that slaves were not citizens. This would later spark conflict leading to the Civil War -
The Election of 1860
The election of 1860, the actual start of the Civil War as most would say, was between Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas. Abraham Lincoln won, by 36% of the country, meaning that the majority of the country was unhappy with the result, but the biggest cause of conflict was that none of the Southern States had voted for Lincoln, effectively stating to them that their votes did not matter. This was the final nail in the coffin that would start war. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1967 is Passed
This law, passed during one of the most controversial times in America for race completely reversed the Plessy vs Ferguson ruling that stated that "separate but equal" was allowed, pushing forward segregation. The act instead ruled that segregation was unconstitutional because separate was inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. This was met by widespread controversy especially in southern states who were deeply segregated and racist. -
William Seward Buys Alaska
In 1867, Secretary of State, William Seward decided to buy the land of Alaska from Russia with whom they had gotten dubious amounts of help from during the Civil War. This was seen as a very large blunder on the part of Seward by many people during this time mainly because the $7 million used to buy it was seen as a waste on a frozen tundra. -
The Fourteenth Amendment is Ratified
In June of 1866, Congress decided to ram home the newly formed Civil rights Bill with the passing of the Fourteenth Amendment. With its passing, the ideals of rights for free blacks, first proposed in the Civil Rights Bill were hammered home with a Constitutional Amendment that clearly stated the rights of all people, now including blacks and people of all races. This caused great uproar in the South and caused tension in Congress. -
The Panic of 1873
Due to fastly growing jobs like farmers and railroad workers, the economy was forced to rush to keep up with the market. However, the markets could not keep up and eventually crashed leading to the economic depression known as The Panic of 1873. This led to more corruption on top of that which was already present in America during the Gilded Age and also led to inflation as the economy tried to repair itself. -
The Whiskey Ring of 1875
The Whiskey Ring was a tax evasion plot made by the Republican Political Machine in Missouri which bribed every stage of whiskey production to under-report the amount of whiskey being produced in order to avoid the high tax on liquor. This was a great example of the widespread political corruption and power held by political machines which were controlled by businesses and greedy bosses like Boss Tweed. -
The Second Arresting of Boss Tweed
Boss Tweed, one of the largest and most prominent of the greedy businessmen who controlled New York through his political influence and corruption, present on almost every front. He was finally arrested for embezzlement in 1865; however, he escaped to Spain. Although he spent some time there, he was recognized by authorities and brought back home in November of 1876. Boss Tweed served as an example of the widespread corruption of the Gilded Age. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 is Declared Unconstitutional
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was meant to enforce the purpose of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments: mainly to have black people have the rights as all Americans. Politicians mainly felt this was needed due to practices such as sharecropping and black codes which restricted the rights of blacks. The Act ultimately failed because it had no enforcement and many claimed it violated the rights of the individual. -
The Panic of 1893
One of the American economy's greatest depressions, the Panic of 1893 led to overwhelming, well, panic in America due to loss of jobs throughout America. This was mainly caused by Major railroads struggling leading to 4 million people losing their jobs, leading in turn to civil panic, economic depression, and worsening trade relationships, especially between America and Europe. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson Ruling
The Plessy vs. Ferguson case was a very important ruling in American history. In 1896, a black man (Plessy) who appeared white was traveling on a Southern train in the white section. He was treated like a white man until he was found out and subsequently tried. The ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson allowed segregation under the term "separate but equal." In reality, blacks often got way worse treatment than whites making it, in fact, unequal separation. -
Hawaii Is Annexed
Hawaii, an island to the Southwest of mainland America, was colonized by Americans who were in the sugar and whaling business. These colonists lived on the island with native Hawaiians who had control of the Island. However, in 1898, colonists and some Hawaiians staged a revolt to get Hawaii annexed to America in order to lower sugar prices/taxes and whaling prices/taxes. Although president Grover Cleveland tried to reinstate the previous queen, it did not work, and Hawaii became a territory. -
The Elkins Act is Passed
This law, passed under Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, was part of TR's ploy to control corporations as part of his three C's. The Elkins Act focused on railroad companies, allowing the Interstate Commerce Commission to impose fines upon railroads that offered rebates and upon shippers that accepted said rebates. This was one of the first steps in the presidency to control corporations. -
The Antiquities Act is Passed
One of Teddy Roosevelt's first attempts at conservation of America's forests and natural resources, the Antiquities Act of 1906. This legislation passed by Congress allowed the president to set aside federal lands as national monuments. Roosevelt became the first president to implement it and set aside more National parks and monuments than any other. This further established Roosevelt as a conservationist and completed one of his three C's of governing. -
The Jungle is Published
The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair was an expose of the meat-packing industry in Chicago which was meant to shed light on the unfit working conditions of the meat packers that worked there. Instead of this, Sinclair's novel ended up causing more civil uprising over the conditions under which the meat itself was being packed. This led to political reforms to protect the consumer like the Pure Food and Drug Act. -
The Ku Klux Klan Comes Back
Although the KKK had been reduced in its numbers since after the Civil War and Reconstruction, William Simons, began its rebirth in America. It is assumed he was inspired by the silent film "The Birth of a Nation." This new Klan was further angered and inspired by immigrants who were viewed in a bad nativity point of of view which reflects the views of the period. -
The Harlem Renaissance Leads to Great Depression
The Harlem Renaissance was one of the best times culturally for America. Black people, as they began to move into big cities in the North, brought their culture into things like night clubs through Jazz and poetry for example. This brought a great cultural revolution but it also inspired large amounts of money being spent frivolously on things like liquor and partying, and the use of credit. -
Sacco and Vanzetti Case
After a killing during which the suspects were described as Italian immigrants, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and put on trial. Although there was little evidence, both men were convicted and executed. This reflects the anti immigrant views that the country held at the time leading to things like the red scare and so on. -
The Loss of a War Time Economic Wilson Leading to the Depression
During Wilson's prosperous wartime economy, the National Debt had still hit an almost all time high. During 1921, it had grown even higher as people began not focusing their money on the government and its prosperity, but on individual prosperity and buying fake credit that would eventually cave in. This caused investments and fake trust in things that would eventually come crashing down. -
Immigration Act of 1924 Passed
This Act, passed at the time when America was drastically afraid of immigration and began becoming violently nativist. It only allowed 2% of the immigrant population of 1890 into the United States. This was meant to stem the growing number of immigrants from eastern Europe and gain more immigrants from Western Europe that America did want. -
The Ignorance of the Government during the Florida boom
Many schemes during this time involved getting rich fast by scamming people. The selling of multiple underwater lots of land to people who were willing to pay exorbitant prices for them. This was then exposed after a hurricane scared people off. This should have been a warning to the U.S to keep an eye on the market but instead they ignored it leading to the crash. -
Tax Reductions Lead to the Depression
Seeking to help the growing, suffering poor, Mellon, passed multiple tax reduction bills from 1921 to 1926. These were only a band aid on a symptom as these reduction plans only lent the people of America a false sense of security. In fact, the tax reduction acts probably made the crash worse as this false sense of security encouraged people to buy things on credit that they did not have leading to a worse crash. -
The election of 1932
The election of 1932 had FDR, Democrat, running against Herbert Hoover, Republican. With Hoover being seen as a failure due to his response to the Great Depression, FDR had not had too hard of a time in terms of competition, but one over the American people with his beliefs about what to do about the recession, mainly which he gained through the Brain Trust's insights. This election created the main stances of the modern Democratic and Republican parties. -
FDR Makes his First Fireside Chat
During FDR's terms as president, while he was trying to improve and fix the Great Depression, the morale of the American people was very low and many questioned FDR and his motives. In order to help the morale and comfort the American people in order to get their loyalty and support, especially as he was being criticized for some of his less democratic support, FDR began his fireside radio chats that brought him into the homes of the American people and won their friendship. -
Prohibition Ends with the 21st Ammendment
Sensing that the economy could be helped with the alcohol, a booming illegal business, FDR sought to repeal prohibition with the goal of helping the economy with the passing of the 21st amendment, which allowed businesses to begin the sale of alcohol and help restart the economy. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower is Elected President
The former WWII general, Eisenhower had gained copious amounts of popularity among the American people and therefore won against his competition in a landslide. As a popular republican he brought about the Republican party's prominence in the American people and would bring about an era of normalcy and prosperity -
Disney Land Opens
Disney Land was one of the first and biggest amusement parks owned by a movie company. It featured rides and attractions that had never been offered to the people of the United States before and marked an era of mass consumerism and economic prosperity that had occurred after WWII. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
After this momentous trial where a black student asked to go to a white school, desegregation was enacted in all public schools in America with "due haste." This was momentous especially in places like the deep south where segregation was such a big part of life. This led to violent protests and organizations to oppose desegregation but it led to some of the biggest gains in rights for blacks across the nation. -
Rosa Parks Rebels
In 1955 in Montgomery Alabama, one of the most segregated and racist places in America at the time, Rosa Parks, an active NAACP member, decided to sit in the white section of a public bus and did not give up her seat to a white person when asked. For this, she was subsequently arrested, but she had begun to spark the Alabama bus boycott that would drive forward the cause of desegregation in the South. -
My Lai Massacre
The Mai Lai Massacre was one of the worst atrocities committed by the U.S Army during the Vietnam War. During this attack, the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe were attacked by U.S. soldiers who raped, killed, and mutilated between 300 and 500 unarmed men women and children. This attack fed civil unrest over the war and the outrage was fueled even more so by the lack of just punishment to the men involved. -
The Stonewall Riots Occur
The Stonewall Riots were a series of riots that occurred at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwhich Village, New York that had gay or LGBT patrons rebelling and fighting against their oppressors. These riots were a reflection of the tumultuous times of the 60's and 70's when rights such as civil rights were tested. This is also seen as the spark which began the fight for LGBT rights in America -
The Equal Rights Amendment is Passed
The Equal Rights Amendment passed under President Nixon and Ford prohibited the denial or abridgment of rights in any state on account of sex. This amendment was crucial to the feminist fight as it guaranteed, legally, equality among the sexes in terms of civil rights. The ERA would be widely used in the fight for feminism and would also be fought against, especially under the conservative Reagan creating more social uproar. -
The Watergate Scandal
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested at the Watergate Hotel, in Washington and were caught bugging the democratic headquarters. Although no evidence was directly provided to convict the president, Nixon was still put on trial and, amidst public disapproval and threat of impeachment, decided to resign. This led to greater distrust of the government at a time when counter-culture and civil unrest was rampant already. -
Roe v. Wade
This land mark case of Roe V. Wade had the supreme court ruling on abortion and stated that no state could deny abortion and it was a woman's right under the constitutional right of privacy.This would greatly challenge conservatives at the time, especially the New Right movement of conservatives which would come. -
Ronald Reagan is Elected
The election of Ronald Reagan would mark a new period of economic and social reforms for America. The United States, suffering economically, with inflation and an all new unemployment high, needed economic reform which Reagan brought. His conservatism was also economic as well as social and although people though he helped the economy, in reality, he really made the national debt worse. -
George H. W. Bush Becomes President
George H. W. Bush became president in 1989, after Reagon. His election marked a new modern period of America that has continued to this day. With him, he brought new reforms which tried, and mostly failed, to help the economy. He promised no new taxes, but this also he failed to fulfill as he agreed to a $133 billion tax plan. With Bush's presidency also came the end of the Cold War and the liquidation of the USSR. -
The USSR is Dissolved
The dissolution of the USSR sparked the end of the Cold War. After years of the Soviet Union expanding its communist ties and applying new pressure to other countries like Ukraine, the Soviet Union fell apart and the old countries it had controlled became separate once more. The official end came with the falling of the Berlin Wall. This led to a great sigh of relief for the American people as their only big threat was mostly gone.
